A Second Autumn In Venice
by Aceh
Summary: And then the writer returned- all grown up and ready to write a real novel.


Things had changed. As the crisp, autumn leaves found themselves covered in rare, Venetian snow, everything began to move. Acey found herself back at home in London; Riccio and Mosca found themselves drifting away from the others; Hornet, Prosper and Bo found themselves living with Ida and Scipio found himself staying away from home as much as possible by spending time at Ida's. It seemed like nothing could ever possibly be the same- and, in a sense, it was quite true. All the children were growing up, growing either together or apart, but growing nonetheless.

It was years before anything of note happened. For Acey's eighteenth birthday, her parents took her on a trip to Venice- they knew how she adored the city and it's culture, and how she had found an interesting story there before. They couldn't have given her a better birthday present. She had packed quickly, and within a few days, the eighteen year old writer found herself, once again, in the Autumn of Venice.

Nothing had really changed about the city- sure, new stores had opened, old places had closed and the people had changed, but the layout was the same, the alleys still existed, and the crunchy, warm coloured leaves still littered every surface that wasn't situated below a roof. It was a wonderful feeling- a homecoming sort of thing. Taking a deep breath, Acey found her infatuation with the place was still the same. And despite all the odds, she found herself hoping to run into a familiar face.

Though the city hadn't changed much, Acey sure had. She'd grown up- she wasn't the same teenager she had been when she'd first set foot on the streets of Venice. No. She'd grown taller, and most of the traces of childhood had left her features. Her taste in clothes had morphed several times, and she'd been through some pretty obsessive phases, as with every teenager. But she was practically an adult now. And a new person.

Oh, how she'd missed them all. Bo's adorable, smiling face, her girl conversations with Hornet... but most of all, she'd missed Scipio. The two had broken things off when Acey had left. Long distance relationships were ridiculous, after all. Impossible to keep up, and it always ended in heartbreak. Most of the time, anyways. It had been difficult. She'd really liked him. Sure, there'd been friendly letters... but it just wasn't the same. Of course it wasn't. They'd been through too much together for it to be the same... and that seemed to be a mutual feeling between them.

And now, here she stood. In the middle of the Basilica, amidst the pidgeons and the tourists, a goofy grin plastered on her face. Her parents had left her to her own devices not an hour ago- they'd opted for a cafe after half an hour of sitting on a bench with her as she scribbled furiously into her ever present notebook. She was still set on writing a novel... she just needed a little inspiration first.

And as she stood, the crowd seeming to pulse around her, she found herself flooded with memories. Ah, to be fifteen and running free around the city again... It had been wonderful, and she found herself thinking about it nearly every day. Too say it had been the highlight of her life would almost be an understatement. It had been so exciting, full of danger and raging adrenaline. Not to mention magic.

ANd then she found her self pulled from her memories, rather unpleasantly. But, oh! What was that? A... a mask! That was definitely a mask! A bird mask... and it looked so very familiar. After a stunned pause, she pushed her way through the crowds, trying desperately to reach the boy in the mask. That hair... that mask... it had to be him! It didn't take long for her to reach him, and, out of breath, she tapped the boy on the shoulder.

"S-Scipio!" She managed, her excitement clearly portrayed by her voice. Maybe... maybe this Autumn could be as brilliant as the last! Oh, they could all be together again, parading about the city, wreaking all sorts of havoc... And then the boy turned around and pulled off his mask. And it wasn't Scipio.

"Erm, excuse me?" He questioned, a confused look on his face.

"Oh, oh I'm so sorry! I... I thought you were someone else..." She stammered, her face turning a deep red. Oh, how embarrassing! And even more disappointing... Who was she kidding? What were the chances she'd find him so randomly? With an irritated sort of grunt, the boy turned and was on his way again. Clearly her apology was not accepted. But Acey wasn't in the frame of mind to worry about it- she was too busy sulking over the fact that it hadn't been who she thought it was.

"Well, if it isn't the writer," A familiar voice came from behind her, and without looking the girl could tell the speaker was smirking. "Hey, writer, remember me?" Acey whipped around, too stuck on her previous encounter to recognize whoever was speaking. She looked up slowly, not really seeing anything for a moment. And then it all came together.

"Scipio!" She yelled, her smile returning to her face just as quickly as it had faded away. It was really him. It was the Thief Lord, in the flesh. The grown up flesh, too. He, like herself, had changed with time. He'd grown, and it was clear he was doing his best to grow a little facial hair. But... well, he was still the same boy she'd met three years ago on her first trip to her favourite city.

Things were beginning to look up.


End file.
